Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-19
TIM C0UGHLIN TN LIMBO.
THE CHAIsWoRTH JURY LOCATES A
TERRIBLE RESPONSIBILITY

On the Section Foreman Who Failed to
Do His Whole Duty-And Suggests That
the Railway Company Was Not Up to
the Mark-Coughlin Arrested-The Scene
in His Home-Tornado Havoc.
CHATswoRTH, ILL.,, Aug 19.-The coroner's
jury in the Chatsworth horror rendered a
verdict Thursday charging Section Boss
Cougblin with gross carelessness, and recon-
mending that he be held to the grand jury,
and censured the railroad company. The
verdict is as follows:
We find that the vreckng of the said train
which totally demolished eight coaches, one bag
gage-car and one engine, and either killed or
wounded most of the occupants of said coaches
was caused by said bridge having been burned
out before the train struck it. We think from
the evidence that the bridge was fired from the
fires left burning, which had beea set as late as
O'Clock that afternoon by the section men,
close sixteen feet on both the east
and west sides of the bridge. We further
find thai the foreman Of section &
Timothy Ccuehlin, discbeyed positive orders
from his superior to examine the track auC
bridges on his section the last thing on Wednes
day and we find that he did not so over the west
two and one-halt miles at all on Wednesday. anC
that the said foreman, Coughn was guilty Of
gross and criminal careessness in leaving fire.
burning along tn, track in such dry season ant
with such strong wind blowing.
We recommend that he be held for examination
by the grand jury; and further, it is the opinion %
the Jury that the leaving of the track without be
ing patroed fer six hours before the passage o.
the excursion and the setting of fires by the sec
ton men on such dry and windy day as the 10tl
of August, 1885, were acts which deserve sever,
criticism
As soon as the verdict had been found
warrant for Coughlin's arrest, prepared by
Coroner Long, was placed in the hands Of
Deputy Sheriff Sanford, who is also the town
marshal. The officer found Coughlin work
ing with his gang short distance down the
track. He was Immediately placed under ar
rest, but was allowed to 90 to his home
about a quarter of mile from the station
with the officer. where he put on his best suit
of clothes and bid gOod-by to his wife anC
seven children, who cried and hung around
bis neck in the most affecting manner. The
prisoner was then taken to the station, where
he awaited the coming of the train which
was to take him away to the county Jail al
Pontiac
While there he was interviewed He said
he considered the verdict a most unjust one
and declared that Head and Taggart, the
section men who worked with him on Aug.
10 had perjured themselves in swearing thai
they had set fire 10 grass within sixteen fee
of the bridge on that day. No grass haC
been burned within the distance of three Of
four telegraph poles east of the bridge on
Aug. 10 He could not account for their hav
ing testified as they did. He had not had any
trouble with them. In his opinion he haC
taken all possible precautions to prevent the
bridge catching fire. He said he had beer
with the Toledo, Peoria & Western railroad
| for two years, and previous to that time had
been employed by the Illinois Central rail
road for tweuty-eight years, with the excep
ton of three years, during which time he wa
in the war, having served in the Thirty thirt
| Missouri infantry,
W hen the tram was passing his house th'
most distressing shrieks and cries were heard
The passengers looked out of the windows fol
the purpose of ascertaining the cause of the
noise, and saw Coughlin's wife and children
standing in the doorway, giving way to tht
most violent expressions of grief, as they
gazed after the train that was bearing the
husband and father to prison.
After the verdict had been announced At
| tOrney J. S Stephens, who has been here fol
several DAYS looking after the interests of th'
road, said that the company would not aSsis
Coughlin in any way to extricate himself
from his difficulty.